Seasonal Selling Tips – Summer Home Staging Tweaks

When they decide to put their Waterloo Region home on the market for sale, homeowners will inevitably – and quite rightly – hear a great deal about the importance of home staging in order for it to appear more appealing to a multitude of different buyers. What is talked about a good deal less though is the fact that that home staging should be tweaked according to the season.

The summer, for example, is certainly a prime time for selling a home, as the good weather makes potential Waterloo Region home buyers far more inclined to get out and do a little house hunting, as such trips made in the dead of winter can be pretty miserable. A home seller however has to remember to tweak things a little so that their home is properly summer sale worthy. With that in mind here are a few basic tips to help you:

Interior Temperatures

Conserving energy is certainly a great idea and so adjusting the thermostat on your cooling system when you are not at home so that your A/C or central air is not cooling an empty house for nothing is usually a good idea. A good idea that is unless you are in the process of selling that home. In this case, your A/C becomes an important part of the home staging process.

Usually, most Realtors prefer to show a home when the sellers are not in, and so the chances are good that Realtors and clients could pop by at any time. If they are house hunting at the height of the summer buyers will naturally be expecting that any home they walk into will provide a cooling respite from the heat outside, not only because that is comfortable for them at the time, but because that is what they will be expecting from any home they buy to live in.

With this in mind, don’t risk making a bad impression by failing to cool the house properly. Set your central air or air conditioning thermostats to 22C/72F and turn on a few small fans to keep the air circulating and keep it all running any time there is a chance that potential home buyers may be stopping by. Better still, invest in a programmable thermostat like the Nest, as that allows you to turn your A/C on or off, up or down from wherever you are, thanks to a simple app on your phone.

Watch Out for Overgrown Yards

Just because you are selling your home does not mean that you have to forgo that summer vacation this year. However you should add an extra item to your vacation checklist if you are going to be gone for more than a few days; hiring someone to tend to the yard. Grass – and weeds – grow at rapid rates in the summer and by the time your return from a two week holiday in the sun your outdoor spaces may have turned into a jungle, something that will be an instant turn off for any potential buyers that may be shown the home while you are away.

Humid Horrors

Any savvy home buyer will want to have a look at every little nook and cranny in a home they are viewing and that will include areas like the basement, a place that if it is not finished will probably feel at least slightly unpleasant and muggy in the summertime. To avoid turning off buyers with that humidity keep a small dehumidifier running down there to freshen the space up (and keep mold and mildew at bay)

Refreshment to Remember

Home hunting in the summer can be a thirsty business. Getting in and out of a hot car, and/or walking for long periods in the heat often leaves homebuyers gasping for a little refreshment. This is an easy opportunity for you to make their visit to your property a little more memorable. Get into the habit of leaving out a few cool bottles of water, with an inviting ‘take one’ type sign in a visible spot – the kitchen counter maybe? – so that thirsty homebuyers can enjoy some welcome refreshment that is likely to be both appreciated and remembered.